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The school was founded as Riverside Military Academy in 1907 by local professors and businessmen Haywood Jefferson Pearce [1] and Azor Warner Van Hoose, Jr [2] with the mission of preparing ethical young men for success in college and life.
Riverside Military Academy, founded in 1907, is a leading military college preparatory school for boys in grades 7-12. The Academy is located on a 206 acre campus on the shores of Lake Sydney Lanier in Gainesville, GA.
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- Overview
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Riverside Military Academy is a private, college preparatory, boarding and day school for boys in grades 7 through 12. Riverside's 206-acre (0.83 km2) campus is located on Lake Sidney Lanier at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Gainesville, Georgia, United States. Its academic year runs from August through May. Each summer, Riverside hos...
Riverside Military Academy, began with two Gainesville businessmen and professors, Haywood Jefferson Pearce and Azor Warner Van Hoose, Jr. Pearce was president of the local women's school, Brenau College, and based upon his success there, these men gathered support from more than 30 local investors to charter an all-male, military school. As a result, construction for Riverside Military Academy began in 1907. The doors opened in the fall of 1908.
By 1913 the 25-acre campus included two brick buildings and a small wooden cottage. That same year, Pearce needed to fill a vacancy in Riverside's administration and discovered Sandy Beaver, a talented young educator in Stone Mountain, Georgia.
Once at Riverside, the early years of Beaver's presidency were hectic. In the spring of 1916, Lanier Hall, the administration building, burned. Arrangements were made to transfer the students to Chick Springs Military School in South Carolina, and Riverside was closed for rebuilding. Beaver's primary job was to secure funding for the rebuilding. Using the property as collateral, he borrowed $15,000 to repair Lanier Hall. By September 1917 the facilities had been rearranged so that a mess hall, kitchen, office, and classrooms were set up on the first floor of South Barracks and the second and third floors were used for dormitories for the 40 enrolled students. Work on rebuilding Lanier Hall continued throughout the year with many "Bull Ring" hours being served by cadets going toward the rebuilding. The work was finished in the summer of 1918.
In the 1920s, Riverside cadets and faculty continued to work hard and reap the rewards. Riverside became an official JROTC program in 1923 and earned its first Honor School designation in 1925. It was one of only ten such schools designated by the Secretary of War, and the only one in the South. The post-World War I faculty included Lloyd D. Brown, who commanded the 28th Infantry Division in World War II. General Beaver's son, Colonel John L. "Judge" Beaver, graduated in 1929, went on to serve in World War II, and was awarded the Bronze Star. He later served as superintendent from 1946 to 1963, when he retired. He was chairman of the RMA Board of Trustees from 1969 to 1993. John Beaver is credited with increasing Riverside's assets during the 24-year period of his chairmanship nearly eight-fold, providing the school with a secure financial base larger than that of many colleges and universities.
To assist in the expansion of the facilities and thereby to increase the size of the student body, the people and merchants of Gainesville donated matching funds during the 1920s, which over the next decade helped put the Academy on solid financial footing. Local residents also purchased from the Georgia Power Company about 40 acres of land bordering the northern boundary of the Academy property for the construction of a nine-hole golf course. It was used for about 12 years, but during the Depression the course was used very little and the Academy eventually bought the land in 1935. An area of approximately 35 acres was also purchased by the Academy, so that between 1923 and 1936 the Academy added enough land to bring the campus up to approximately 200 acres.
Hard times descended on the nation during the 1930s. Riverside, however, benefited from the frugal stewardship of Sandy Beaver. It was during these lean years that Riverside managed to enter a golden era. It had long been General Beaver's dream to create a Riverside campus in Florida and move the students and faculty there during the rough, cold winter months in the Georgia mountains. Three properties were available, and Beaver settled on a 200-room, three-story hotel in Hollywood that had been built in 1928 to house guests who wanted the Florida sunshine but did not want to be on the ocean. The building's original cost was $800,000, but because it was idle after only one season's use, the corporation owning the property was eager to sell and get out of paying the yearly property taxes. On that basis General Beaver proceeded with the real estate coup of the century – he purchased the property for the total sum of $10. To complete the campus, a nearby school, which had been built by the city of Hollywood, but never used, was leased by Riverside for $150 a season. Riverside furnished desks, tables, chairs, blackboards, etc., but later installed these in its own facilities which were built in 1937 on property acquired south of the original circle.
Riverside Military Academy's Corps of Cadets consists of over 500 students from 22 countries.
•Félix Arturo González Canto, governor of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo (1987)
•James Earl Carter, Sr., father of U.S. President Jimmy Carter (attended 1911)
•Tyler Carter, former clean vocalist of the metalcore band Woe, Is Me, and current clean vocalist of Issues
•Cee Lo Green (Thomas DeCarlo Callaway), singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor
•Bobby Greenwood, professional golfer (attended 1957)
•George O. Jackson, Jr., photographer (1960)
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Apr 24, 2024 · History. Riverside Preparatory Academy was founded in 1907 by local Professors and Businessmen- Haywood Jefferson Pearce [1] and Azor Warner Van Hoose, Jr [2] with the mission of preparing ethical young men for success in college and life. 1911 Riverside Preparatory Academy Yearbook showing Pearce as secretary of the board of directors.
Riverside Military Academy is a military school for boys that enhances the overall educational experience while producing young men of character, sound judgement, and commitment.
Riverside Military Academy has built a solid reputation for its rigorous academic curriculum, discipline, and emphasis on leadership. Its military-style approach aims to foster self-discipline, camaraderie, and respect among students, which are valuable traits both for students aspiring a military career or otherwise.
